It's hard not to love the 2012 Barbera d'Alba Superiore. This is a fruit-forward red wine that would pair with white meat or spicy pork dishes. It offers succulent fruit layers with dark cherry, blackberry and crushed river stone. There is a note of dusty chalk on the close.

The Valdinara is a soft, seductive wine showing plenty of jammy fruit, and a pleasant smoky spice. On the finish it is a touch stemmy, but it is so slight that it adds an exotic edge to the wine. Pleasant, not very intense and easy to like.——M.G.(12/31/2007)—— 85